Larraņaga Adds Murphy to @CanesHoops Roster

CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Head coach Jim Larrañaga has announced the signing Kamari Murphy to a financial aid agreement to play men’s basketball for the University of Miami.

"We were looking for a forward with great athletic ability," said Larrañaga. "Kamari, at 6-foot-9, can run and jump and is as good an athlete as you will find, but what is most impressive is his versatility both offensively and defensively. He can defend multiple positions and he can play both forward positions. We needed additional scoring and rebounding up front and he can provide that. He is a great addition to our program."

Murphy, who played two seasons at Oklahoma State University, will sit out the 2014-15 season, then will have two years of eligibility with the Hurricanes.

As a sophomore with the Cowboys in 2013-14, the 6-foot-9, 220-pound forward started 21 of his 33 games, averaging 6.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.2 blocks in 25.9 minutes per outing. In his rookie campaign, Murphy started his first 15 collegiate games and grabbed six rebounds in the semifinal game against Kansas State at the Big 12 Championship.

A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Murphy attended Lincoln High School before playing ball at IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.). At IMG he averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds and three assists for a team that finished 28-2 against prep schools and was ranked among the top-five nationally. He was ranked No. 10 on HoopScoop's list of top fifth-year players in 2012. As a senior at Lincoln, he averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds per game, helping the Railsplitters to the PSAL Class-AA title game as a senior and the Brooklyn regular-season crown and borough title. At that time he was ranked by HoopScoop as the No. 6 player in New York.

Murphy joins seven new players to Miami’s 2014-15 roster, which includes four recruits – Ja’Quan Newton, James Palmer, Omar Sherman and Ivan Cruz Uceda – along with two other Big 12 transfers – Angel Rodriguez and Sheldon McClellan – and redshirt freshman Deandre Burnett, who sat out the 2013-14 season with an injury.